How To Find An Executive Coach

Most corporate jobs lead to a managerial position and preparing one's self for that bigger responsibility can be challenging. Transitioning from subordinate to manager could even be a traumatizing experience, for instance, if you got promoted to a position where you will be overseeing the work of longtime colleagues or people been in that department much longer than you.

To let newly-promoted managers ease into their new roles, a lot of companies are outsourcing professionals who specialize in coaching executives.

What is executive coaching?

Generally speaking, coaching describes a helping relationship between a coach and a mentee, created to support the latter as he tries to achieve specific objectives. Executive coaching is different from other types of coaching in that the mentee is generally someone who holds a high level position within an organization where tasks involve substantial decision making and oversight of people and processes.

What executive coaches do

Executive coaches can assist you in a number of ways. Firstly, they let you build the skills essential for your role, for instance, presentation and delegation skills. You will also be taught on basic management theories, strategies, and organizational behavior. Another facet an executive coach can help you with is your performance. This can include instruction on improving collaborative behavior with other workers, rectifying ineffective and abrasive behaviors, or reaching quotas. An executive coach can also work as a sounding board for the mentee, offering feedback, observations, and even networking as required.

Choosing an executive coach

Experience, education and chemistry are three essential criteria when
picking an executive coach. The right coach for you is one who is adequately trained and has years, if not decades of experience. He or she should have finished coursework that is strongly related organizational and executive coaching and can offer certifications as evidence. Coaches can have varied educational backgrounds, but most of them finished psychology, business or human resource management courses. While years of experience is a good indication that a coach is reliable, you also need to check if he or she has
substantial experience mentoring managers in your particular line of work. It's possible that a coach who is known to produce consistently great results does not fit you. It is crucial that you choose a coach you feel you can establish good rapport with. The more
comfortable you are with your coach, the less resistant you will be to his or her advice, and the more successful the relationship will be. You should remember, however, that being the mentee, you ought to be open to change and criticism. A coach will point out not only your strengths, but also harsh and ineffective behaviors

Transitioning to a managerial position can be stressful. Fortunately, one can ease into the new role and be good at it with the help of executive coaches. You can find more pointers on executive leadership here.